Aeschylus Eumenides 823

Herbert Weir Smyth (Translator)

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Eumenides. Aeschylus. Herbert Weir Smyth (Translator). New York. 1926.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Perseus

Εὐμενίδες (Greek) (Aeschylus, Volume 2. Smyth, Herbert Weir, editor. London; New York: William Heinemann; G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1926.)

Editions (11)
Εὐμενίδες First1KGreek (Aeschyli Tragoediae. Sidgwick, Arthur, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1902.) — 778-891 focus
Εὐμενίδες (1518 edition; OCR draft) Experimental (Aeschylus, Eumenides, 1518 edition. VLM-assisted OCR with native lineation and automated correspondence to the Smyth edition.) — 823 focus
Εὐμενίδες (OCR draft) Experimental (Εὐμενίδες. Guilielmus Dindorfius, 1882.) — 823 focus
Εὐμενίδες (OCR draft) Experimental (Εὐμενίδες. Gottfried Hermann, 1852.) — 823 focus
ΕΥΜΕΝΙΔΕΣ (OCR draft) Experimental (ΕΥΜΕΝΙΔΕΣ. Paul Mazon, 1920-1925.) — 823 focus
Εὐμενίδες (OCR draft) Experimental (Εὐμενίδες. Arthur Sidgwick, 1887.) — 823 focus
Εὐμενίδες (OCR draft) Experimental (Εὐμενίδες. N. Wecklein, 1885.) — 823 focus
οὐκ ἔστ᾽ ἄτιμοι, μηδ᾽ ὑπερθύμως ἄγαν
θεαὶ βροτῶν στήσητε δύσκολον χθόνα.
κἀγὼ πέποιθα Ζηνί, καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν;
καὶ κλῇδας οἶδα δώματος μόνη θεῶν
830
ἐν ᾧ κεραυνός ἐστιν ἐσφραγισμένος·
ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲν αὐτοῦ δεῖ· σὺ δ᾽ εὐπιθὴς ἐμοὶ
γλώσσης ματαίας μὴ ἐκβάλῃς ἐπὶ χθόνα
καρπὸν φέροντα πάντα μὴ πράσσειν καλῶς.
κοίμα κελαινοῦ κύματος πικρὸν μένος,
835
ὡς σεμνότιμος καὶ ξυνοικήτωρ ἐμοί·
πολλῆς δὲ χώρας τῆσδ᾽ ἔτ᾽ ἀκροθίνια
Εὐμενίδες (OCR draft) Experimental (Εὐμενίδες. Martin L. West, 1990.) — 823 focus
Aeschyli Eumenides (OCR draft) Experimental (Aeschyli Eumenides. Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff, 1914.) — 823 focus
Εὐμενίδες (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek text of Aeschylus' Eumenides, edited by F. A. Paley, 1885.) — 823 focus
οὐκ ἔστ᾽ ἄτιμοι, μηδ᾽ ὑπερθύμως ἄγαν
θεαὶ βροτῶν στήσητε δύσκηλον χθόνα.
κἀγὼ πέποιθα Ζηνὶ, καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν ;
790
καὶ κλῇδας οἶδα δωμάτων μόνη θεῶν,
ἐν ᾧ κεραυνός ἐστιν ἐσφραγισμένος·
ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲν αὐτοῦ δεῖ· σὺ δ᾽ εὐπειθὴς ἐμοὶ
γλώσσης ματαίας μὴ ἐκβάλῃς ἐπὶ χθόνα
καρπὸν, φέροντα πάντα μὴ πράσσειν καλῶς.
795
κοίμα κελαινοῦ κύματος πικρὸν μένος,
ὡς σεμνότιμος καὶ ξυνοικήτωρ ἐμοί.
πολλῆς δὲ χώρας τῆσδ᾽ ἔτ᾿ ἀκροθίνια,
θύη πρὸ παίδων καὶ γαμηλίου τέλους,
ἔχουσ᾽ ἐς αἰεὶ τόνδ᾽ ἐπαινέσεις λόγον.
800
Εὐμενίδες (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek text of Aeschylus' Eumenides, edited by Friedrich Blass, 1907.) — 823 focus
οὐκ ἔστ᾽ ἄτιμοι, μηδ᾽ ὑπερθύμως ἄγαν
θεαὶ βροτῶν κτίσητε δύσκηλον χθόνα.
825
κἀγὼ πέποιθα Ζηνί, καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν;
καὶ κλῆιδας οἶδα δώματος μόνη θεῶν,
ἐν ὧι κεραυνός ἐστιν ἐσφραγισμένος·
ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲν αὐτοῦ δεῖ· σὺ δ᾽ εὐπειθὴς ἐμοὶ
γλώσσης ματαίας μὴ ᾿κβαλοῦσ᾽ ἔπη, χθονὶ
830
καρπὸν φέροντα πάντα μὴ πράσσειν καλῶς,
κοίμα κελαινοῦ κύματος πικρὸν μένος,
ὡς σεμνότιμος καὶ ξυνοικήτωρ ἐμοί·
πολλῆς δὲ χώρας τῆσδ᾽ ἔτ᾿ ἀκροθίνια
θύη πρὸ παίδων καὶ γαμηλίου τέλους
835
ἔχουσ᾽ ἐς αἰεὶ τόνδ᾽ ἐπαινέσεις λόγον.
Translations (11)
Eumenides Perseus (Aeschylus, Volume 2. Smyth, Herbert Weir, translator. London; New York: William Heinemann; G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1926. (Modernized by Perseus.)) — 823 focus
The Eumenides (OCR draft) Experimental (The Eumenides. Theodore Alois Buckley, 1849.) — 823 focus
You are not dishonoured, nor, through your excessive wrath, do you goddesses make the land of mortals incurable. I too have trust in Jove,—and what need to say any thing of that? And I alone 1
of gods know the keys of the abodes in which the thunder is sealed up: but there is no need of this. But persuaded by me, do not cast forth upon the ground the fruit of a froward tongue, causing all things to turn out ill. Lull the bitter rage of the black billow, as venerated and a dweller with me: and hereafter having for ever the first-fruits of the sacrifices of this ample realm, for children and the rites of marriage, you will praise these my words.
LES EUMÉNIDES (OCR draft) Experimental (LES EUMÉNIDES. Paul Mazon, 1920-1925.) — 823 focus
humiliées; dans l'excès de
votre colère, ne vous en prenez pas, déesses, à des hommes; ne rendez pas la terre sourde à leurs appels. Moi, je m'assure en Zeus, et — faut-il le dire? — seule entre les dieux, je sais ouvrir la chambre où la foudre dort scellée 1 . Mais ici point n'en est besoin. Va, crois-moi; que ta
bouche furieuse ne lance pas sur ce sol des mots dont le seul fruit serait pour tout la mort! Endors la fougue amère de ce noir flux de haine; reçois ta part d'honneurs et viens vivre avec moi. En ce vaste pays, désormais toutes les prémices, offrandes de naissance et offrandes d'hymen, te seront réservées, et tu ne cesseras de louer
mon conseil. 2
The Furies (OCR draft) Experimental (The Furies. Robert Potter, 1779.) — 823 focus
No, you are not diſgraced; nor let your wrath,
940
Immortal as you are, to mortal man
Spread deſolation o'er the earth.
I too
Prevail with Jove. And wherefore ſhou'd I ſay
Of all the Gods I only know the keys g
945
That ope thoſe ſolid doors, within whoſe vaults
His thunders ſleep? Of theſe there is no need.
By me perſuaded let thy haſty tongue
Forbear thoſe threats, from which no fruit can
flow,
950
But ruin to the earth:
compoſe that rage,
Whoſe ſwelling tide o'erflows all bounds, with me
In the ſame manſion, and with equal honours
Rever'd, enjoying thro' theſe ample realms
955
The prime oblations, victims doom'd to bleed
For bleſſings on the birth, or nuptial hour,
That thou ſhalt thank me for this friendly counſel.
Eschilo, Le Eumenidi: traduzione italiana di Ettore Romagnoli (OCR draft) Experimental (Eschilo, Le Eumenidi: traduzione italiana di Ettore Romagnoli. Ettore Romagnoli, 1922.) — 823 focus
non lo rendete, non struggete i germi
col morso edace dell'infeste bave.
Ed io con certa fede a voi prometto
che in questa terra di giustizia avrete
850
riposte sedi, e onor dai cittadini,
presso l'are sedendo, in troni fulgidi.
Aeschylus, Eumenides: versio Latina Ioannis Sanravii (OCR draft) Experimental (Aeschylus, Eumenides: versio Latina Ioannis Sanravii. Ioannes Sanravius, 1555.) — 823 focus
Non estis inhonorate, neq; ſuperbè admodum
Dea mortalium statuetis maculatam terram.
At ego confiſa ſum Ioui, & quid oportet dicere.
780
Et clauſtra noui domorum ſola dearum
In quo fulmen eſt ſignatum.
Sed illius nihil oportet. tu uerò à me persuasa
Ne ſtultam linguam proijcias in terram,
Fructum ferentem, omnia non pulchrè agentes.
785
Sopor fluctus nigri, amarus furor,
Tanqnam grauis & cohabitator ſim mihi.
Multæ huius regionis primitiæ frugum
Sacrificabit, ante liberos & nuptias finem
Habens, ſemper hunc laudabis ſermonem.
790
Aeschylus, Die Eumeniden: German translation (OCR draft) Experimental (Aeschylus, Die Eumeniden: German translation. Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff, 1919–1923.) — 823 focus
Ihr seid nicht ehrlos. Euer wilder Götterzorn
825 darf nicht den Frieden trüben dieser Menschenstadt.
Auch ich hab' einen Beistand, Zeus. Ich mag davon
nicht reden, doch als einz'ge der Olympischen
weiſs zur Rüstkammer ich den Schlüssel, wo verwahrt
die Donnerkeile liegen. Doch ich habe sie
nicht nötig. Fügsam meiner Mahnung wirst du nicht
830 haſskranken Mundes Geifer spritzen, dessen Frucht
Unsegen ist für alle. Glätte nur den Schwall
hochwogender Erregung. Reich an Ehren sollst
du neben mir, der Landesherrin dieser Burg,
den Sitz erhalten, all' die Opfer, die das Volk
835 für seinen Nachwuchs darbringt und sein Eheglück,
in Ewigkeit genieſsend, so du auf mich hörst.
Eumenides (OCR draft) Experimental (Eumenides. Anna Swanwick, 1886.) — 823 focus
English (E. D. A. Morshead, 1889, second edition) (OCR draft) Experimental (Aeschylus, The Furies — Morshead translation. Wikisource transcription; speech corresp and card milestones aligned to Smyth perseus-grc2.) — 823 focus
Dishonoured are ye not; turn not, I pray,
950
As goddesses your swelling wrath on men,
Nor make the friendly earth despiteful to them.
I too have Zeus for champion—tis enough—
I only of all goddesses do know
To ope the chamber where his thunderbolts
955
Lie stored and sealed; but here is no such need.
Nay, be appeased, nor cast upon the ground
The malice of thy tongue, to blast the world;
Calm thou thy bitter wrath's black inward surge,
For high shall be thine honour, set beside me
960
For ever in this land, whose fertile lap
Shall pour its teeming firstfruits unto you,
Gifts for fair childbirth and for wedlock's crown:
Thus honoured, praise my spoken pledge for aye.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1854; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (Aeschylos. Deutsch in den Versmaßen der Urschrift. Stuttgart: Hoffmann, 1854. Native Donner line citations, Smyth card correspondence, selected textual readings and metrical facsimiles. Remaining OCR differences and unattributed reading notes are documented in the linked review inventory.) — 823 focus
Niemand beschimpft euch; nicht in schwerem Grimme denn,
Göttinnen, schafft der Menschen Land zur Wildniß um!
Auf Zeus vertrau' ich - was bedarf's der Rede noch? -
Nur ich von allen Göttern weiß die Schlüssel ja
Zum Hause, wo sein Wetterstrahl verschlossen ruht.
790
Doch dessen braucht's nicht; folge du nur meinem Rath,
Und frevlen Mundes böse Saat, aus welcher nur
Unheil emporkeimt, streue nicht auf dieses Land.
Der schwarzen Woge bittern Zorn besänftige,
Du, die bei mir in hohen Ehren thronen soll!
795
Einst, wenn du dieses weiten Landes Erstlinge
Als Opfer um der Kinder, um der Ehen Glück
Empfängst auf immer, lobst du mich für diesen Rath.
English (Smyth; revised Bannon and Nagy, CHS) (OCR draft) Experimental (CHS Primary Sources revision of Herbert Weir Smyth’s translation by Cynthia Bannon and Gregory Nagy, with transliterated Greek terms tagged and aligned to the Smyth edition.)

No corresponding passage available

Commentary

Commentary on Aeschylus: Eumenides (Aeschylus. Eumenides. Sidgwick, Arthur, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1887.)

825. δύσκηλον , lit. ‘hard to charm:' i.e. past cure, as Schol. δυσθεράπευτον.

Critical apparatus to Eumenides (OCR draft) (Latin and Greek critical apparatus to Gottfried Hermann's 1852 edition of Eumenides.) focus

mvp-comment-616-1 NA: Hinc rursus pergunt Ven. Flor. Farn.

mvp-comment-617-1 στήσητε:

στήσηται
, sed
αι
deinde in
ε
mutato, G. Dictum est
στήσητε
ut a Sophocle Oed. Col. v. 1041.
πρὶν ἄν σε τῶν σῶν κύριον στήσω τέκνων
.

mvp-comment-618-1 δώματος: Libri

δωμάτων
. Propterea v. 814. Triclinius et Schutzius
ἐν οἷς
scripserunt. Abuteretur doctrina, si quis
δωμάτων – ἐν ᾧ
iis tueri vellet, quae Apollonius habet de Syntaxi III. 4. p. 200. Apparet enim scribendum esse
δώματος
, ut Casaubonus vel alius quis intellexit. Nimirum non in pluribus, sed in uno conclavi fulmen conclusum fuisse credibile est. De Minerva fulminatrice v. Heynium in excursu ad Virg. Aen. I. 42.

mvp-comment-619-1 ἐν ᾧ:

ἐν οἷς
Farn.

mvp-comment-620-1 εὐπιθὴς: Libri

εὐπειθής
, nisi quod Ald.
ἐπειθής
habet. Scripsi
εὐπιθής
.

mvp-comment-621-1 κοίμα κελαινοῦ κύματος: Hic versus quum in G. omissus esset, eo atramento, quo scholia scripta sunt, suo loco insertus est, adscripto

στίχος
in margine.
κοίμα κελαινοῦ κύματος
M. Aug. G. Turn.
κοίματος κελαινοῦ, κύματος
Ald. quum Asulanus inferiorem partem litterae
ο
in verbo
καρπόν
, quae in G. super
α
in
κοίμα
est, pro compendio syllabae
τος
accepisset.
κύμα κελαινοῦ κύματος
Rob.
καὶ κῦμα κελαινοῦ κύματος
Ven. (sic Ven.) Flor. Farn.

mvp-comment-622-1 τῆςδ᾽ ἔτ᾽ ἀκροθίνια:

τῆςδ᾽ ἔτ᾽ ἀκροθίνια
, ut olim, scripsi.
τῆσδέτ' ἀκροθίνια
M. Ven. Flor.
τῆς δετ᾽ ἀκροθίνια
G. Ald.
τῆς δὲ τ᾿ ἀκροθίνια
Rob.
τῆςδε τἀκροθίνια
Turn.

mvp-comment-623-1 θύη πρὸ παίδων:

θύη· πρὸ παίδων
M. G. Flor. Ald.
θύη, προπαίδων
Rob.
θύη πρὸ παίδων
Ven.
θύῃ, προπαίδων
Aug.
θύῃ, πρὸ παίδων
Turn.

mvp-comment-624-1 τέλους:

τέλος
G. Ald. Turn.

mvp-comment-625-1 ἐς ἀεὶ:

ἐς ἀεὶ
Rob.
αἰεὶ
, omisso
ἐς
, Aug. Ceteri
ἐς αἰεί
.

Commentary on the Eumenides (OCR draft) (Brief English notes on Aeschylus' Eumenides by F. A. Paley, 1885.) focus

mvp-comment-251-1 τί δεῖ λέγειν] The meaning is, but I need not invoke the aid of Zeus in forcing you to yield, since I would rather appeal to you as the goddess of wisdom and eloquence.'

mvp-comment-252-1 ὡς σεμνότιμος] Schol.

λείπει ἐσομένη.

mvp-comment-253-1 πρὸ παίδων] for children, a rather rare use of the preposition, as inf. 858, πρὸ παντὸς χρόνου, ‘for all time. Schol.

ὡς προτέλεια θυόντων ᾿Αθήνῃσι ταῖς Ερινύσι.

Selected scholia accompanying Blass's Eumenides (OCR draft) (The mixed Greek, Latin, and German scholia register printed with Friedrich Blass's 1907 edition, aligned to O. L. Smith's later recensional editions.) focus

mvp-comment-304-1 ὡς

mvp-comment-305-1 δυσθεράπευτον.

mvp-comment-306-1 τὸν πάντα ποιοῦντα κακῶς πράττειν.

mvp-comment-307-1 κοίμιζε. τὸν θυμόν.

mvp-comment-308-1 λείπει ἐσομένη. προτέλεια θυόντων Ἀθήνηισι ταῖς Ἐρινύσι. τέλος δὲ ὁ γάμος. δίκητον, τιμωρεῖσθαι μὴ δυναμένην. τὸ δὲ φεῦ διὰ μέσου ἀναφωνεῖ.

Wecklein’s commentary on Eumenides (1888; German; OCR draft) (Explanatory commentary, pp. 251–322; HW42J8 and HXJHA8 OCR collated, with missing comparison pages 294–295 explicitly marked. Unresolved OCR and provisional reference mappings are explicitly marked.) focus

mvp-comment-428-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 306

mvp-comment-428-2 Kommos, Aussöhnung der gekränkten und tief ergrimmten Erinyen durch die begütigenden Worte der Athena. Der Chor singt zwei Strophen, die er als Antistrophen wiederholt. Jeder Strophe und Antistrophe folgen 13 Verse der Athena, wornach die Partie mit 12 Versen Stichomythie und 12 Versen einer ῥῆσις der Athena abgeschlossen wird. Vgl. zu Ag. 1435 .

mvp-comment-442-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 308

mvp-comment-442-2 Erhebet in nicht allzu leidenschaftlicher Weise als Göttinnen um Menschen solchen Groll, dafs der unverschlossene Mund Geifer βροτῶν fallen läfst. Vgl. 183 f. στήσητε χόλον wie Soph. Oed. Τ. 699 ὅτου ποτὲ μῆνιν τοσήνδε πράγμα τος στήσας ἔχεις, Hom. N333

ἵστατο νεῖκος, τ
11 ἔριν στήσαντες. Mit ὑπερθύμως στήσητε χόλον vgl. auch Ag.226 ὀργᾶν περιοργώς. Das Wort δύσκημος ist nur bekannt aus einer unverständlichen Glosse des Hesych. δύσκημον· ἄφρανα δυσοιώνιστον, worin ἄφρανα in ἀφρὸν verbessert auf unsere Stelle hinweist, und kommt von κημός (Mundbinde), vgl. Schol. zu Aristoph. Ri. 1147
Αἰσχύλος ἐν Λυκούργῳ ἀλληγορικῶς τοὺς δεσμούς κημοὺς εἴρηκε διὰ τούτων „καὶ τούσδε κημοὺς στόματος,
 entspricht also den Wörtern ἀχάλινος, δυσχαλίνωτος. Nach Athen. XII p. 548 C trug man beim Kneten des Teiges einen κημός.

mvp-comment-442-3 1

mvp-comment-443-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 309

mvp-comment-443-2 Auch ich könnte drohen; denn Zeus würde auf meine Bitte euch mit dem Wetterstrahle treffen und ich könnte sogar selbst den Blitz schleudern. Mit καὶ .. λέγειν giebt man an, dafs man et was nicht zu sagen braucht oder nicht sagen mag. Vgl. Ag. 603 , Plat. Symp. p.217 0 συνεγυμνάζετο οὖν μοι καὶ προσεπάλαιε πολλάκις οὐδενὸς παρόντος· καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν; οὐδὲν γάρ μοι πλέον ἦν. Die Worte beziehen sich auf das Folgende, wie wenn es hiefse καὶ καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν κλῇδας οἶδα. Vgl. zu Cho. 572 .

mvp-comment-443-3 2

mvp-comment-444-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 309

mvp-comment-444-2 μόνη θεῶν: Eur. Tro. 80

ἐμοὶ
(Athena spricht) δὲ δώσειν φησὶ (scil. Ζεὺς) πῦρ κεραύνιον, βάλλειν Ἀχαιοὺς ναῦς τε πιμπράναι πυρί, Quint. Smyrn. XIV 444 ὦ τέκος ἔντεα πάντα, τά μοι πάρος ἐτεκτήναντο Κύκλωπες, δώσω ἐελδομένῃ, Verg. Aen. I 42 ipsa (Minerva) Iovis rapidum iaculata e nubibus ignem disiecitque rates evertitque aequora ventis.

mvp-comment-445-1 3

mvp-comment-445-2 Wecklein 1888, p. 309

mvp-comment-445-3 γλώσσης ματαίας wie Ag. 1662 , Prom. 345

γλώσση ματαία
(frech, frivol). — χθονὶ καρπὸν φέροντα (welche dem Lande die Frucht, den Erfolg bringen) ist ähnlich gesagt wie τοιαῦτ᾽ ἐπηύρου τοῦ φιλανθρώπου τρόπου Prom. 28 .

mvp-comment-446-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 309

mvp-comment-446-2 Consopias quaeso atrae bilis in te effervescentis acerbam vim (Schütz). ὡς: „,in Gedanken an die hohen Ehren, die du in meiner Nachbarschaft geniefsen sollst." Die Altäre der Erinyen am Areopag waren der Akropolis, dem Wohnsitz der Athena, benachbart, vgl. 857, 917 und zu 1005.

mvp-comment-447-1 Wecklein 1888, p. 309

mvp-comment-447-2 πολλῆς χώρας, von dem weiten Lande. Vgl. Sept. 476

ἅλω δὲ πολλήν, ἀσπίδος κύκλον λέγω
. et steht hier wie besonders häufig bei Drohungen (,,du wirst schon noch"). θύη, als Opfer für Kin dersegen und die Weihe der Ehe. Schol. :
ὡς προτέλεια θυόντων Ἀθή νῃσι ταῖς Ἐρινύσι. τέλος δὲ ὁ γάμος
. Vgl. zu 214.

Commentary (Arthur Sidgwick, 1887) (OCR draft) (Arthur Sidgwick's commentary on the Eumenides, aligned to the canonical Greek text.) focus

δύσκηλον , lit. hard to charm: i.e. past cure, as Schol. δυσθεράπευτον.

mvp-sidgwick-388-1-1 The Chorus had called on justice: Athena replies I too have trust in Zeus: though her appeal is rather to threat of force.

mvp-sidgwick-389-1-1 MSS. give εὐπειθής here and Ag. 274 , Cho. 259 , etc. The form seems the regular one, and there is no need to alter to εὐπιθής.

mvp-sidgwick-390-1-1 The MS. reading will hardly stand. I adopt (with Weckl.) Burges' correction: Utter not words which bring the land this fruit, that in all things she fare ill.

mvp-sidgwick-391-1-1 The black billows bitter violence; a splendidly imaginative phrase for the fury of the Eumenides.

mvp-sidgwick-392-1-1 The προτέλεια or marriage offerings made by the bride's family were offered to various gods, Hera, Artemis, the Fates, and here the Furies, no doubt to propitiate: and we gather that similar offerings were made at birth of children. πρό, is for.